My Fall Marathon Will Be...

I have an important and very exciting update on my fall race schedule. I'll be running...

Yep, New York. And I couldn't be happier.

I thought my NYC Marathon dreams were over for this year, but yesterday I received an email from the charity Every Mother Counts that I'd been accepted into their charity team. I asked them about it way back in November before I signed up for the lottery, and at that time the number of spots wasn't secured yet and I wasn't thinking I'd be able to join them. I have never fundraised for a race before, but when I received the email I didn't want to turn it down. With the number of races I run, I'm excited to give back to charity and to help out Every Mother Counts while training for this race.

What is Every Mother Counts (EMC)? It is a charity that supports maternal health around the world, specifically related to stopping preventable deaths related to childbirth. The stat is that 800 women die from childbirth everyday, and 90% of those deaths could be prevented. Many women live far away from the health services they need, and EMC aims to improve this.

Why am I running for EMC? I started reviewing the list of charities for NYC (or really, charities I knew had teams in the past because the list wasn't out yet) before I entered the lottery back in November. I liked the idea of entering the race on a charity team but didn't know where to start or how on earth I would fundraise. I'd heard a lot about EMC from friends on Oiselle team (Oiselle is a partner who makes EMC gear and donates money from the gear to charity) and decided to see what else I could learn about the charity and the race team.

I can't say I have a specific relatable situation for this particular cause, but in all honesty that would be true for any charity I could choose. I wanted to choose a smaller charity, a charity that I felt could make a difference, and also one who had a team that would be helpful in supporting fundraising efforts for newbies like me. As someone who is interested in healthcare, and who has worked in the women's health field in the past, I love that EMC supports getting women the care they need before, during, and after childbirth. I won't go more into the issues that interested me on the blog, but feel free to read more here.

Without further ado, here begins my very first race fundraising attempt. My CrowdRise page widget is below, and I'd absolutely love it if you would support my fundraising goals for Every Mother Counts!

Fundraising Websites - Crowdrise